Home invasion, murder tied to previous burglary

Feb. 7—Four suspects, including a pair of 16-year-olds have now been arrested and charged in the deadly shooting of a Baldwin County High senior at his home early last Thursday, local and state law enforcement authorities say.

Each of the suspects is charged with felony murder. The arrests stem from a home invasion and murder of 18-year-old Syee Devon Havior. The victim was shot multiple times, according to Baldwin County Sheriff's Office Maj. Brad King, head of the sheriff's office criminal investigations division.

The younger suspects are considered juveniles and cannot under Georgia Law be publicly named at this time. The first juvenile was taken into custody just a few hours after the crimes happened at the double-wide mobile home, located at 145-B along a dirt road that runs off Black Springs Road in eastern Baldwin County. The second juvenile was taken into custody Saturday afternoon.

The older suspects are considered adults and can be publicly named.

Mary Chandler, special agent in-charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Region 6 Office in Milledgeville, identified those two suspects as Malik Atravion Smith, 18, of the 100 block of Stuart Circle, Milledgeville; and Jarius Tremon Washington, 19, of the 100 block of Felton Drive, Milledgeville.

Smith was arrested Friday, while Washington turned himself in to authorities at the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office on Monday afternoon, Chandler said.

All four suspects face the possibility of additional criminal charges in connection with the case, authorities said.

Smith and Washington were booked and photographed at the Baldwin County Law Enforcement Center. They are being held at the county jail, according to authorities.

An autopsy was scheduled to be performed on the body of the slain teen Monday at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Laboratory in Macon. The preliminary cause and manner of Havior's death was still pending Monday afternoon.

The arrests are the result of the efforts of GBI agents working closely with detectives and deputies with the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office, as well as officers and detectives with the Milledgeville Police Department .

The home invasion and murder is believed to be gang-affiliated and connected to a recent burglary at the same residence, The Union-Recorder has learned.

The first break-in happened in January.

Chandler confirmed that one of the juveniles arrested in connection with the home invasion, murder case was also involved in the burglary case.

"The preliminary investigation, based on the interviews we've conducted, point us to believe that one of the juveniles we've arrested for felony murder is also one of the juveniles that was involved in the burglary on Black Springs Road," Chandler told the newspaper.

The burglary of the four-bedroom residence happened on Friday, Jan. 20 between 6:44 p.m. and 11:54 p.m., according to an incident report obtained by the newspaper from the sheriff's office.

In a report, dated Jan. 21, Deputy Ben Johnson said he met with Otis Havior concerning the break-in that involved the theft of two guns.

The guns were described as a pistol-grip shotgun and a AR-15 rifle.

The victim of the burglary said he spotted an individual identified to authorities, but redacted from the incident report, along with three other individuals leaving his residence in a gray Honda Accord.

Otis Havior told Johnson that when he got to his residence, he discovered that someone had gained forcible entry into his residence. He later discovered the weapons missing.

The deputy said about an hour after talking with Otis Havior at his residence about the break-in, Havior called him saying an individual was at his residence and had returned his shotgun.

Johnson said he drove back out to the Havior residence.

Johnson said the individual told him that a friend had forced open the door of the residence and that he just followed that person inside.

The individual told the deputy he was unsure where AR-15 was but indicated he found the shotgun and went to return it.

Johnson said an official with the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice indicated to him that he wished the individual involved, who was described as a juvenile, to be detained.

The deputy said he advised the juvenile of what the DJJ official had indicated and that the juvenile began walking away toward a residence.

Johnson said he told the juvenile to stop, but he continued walking away until he got inside the residence.

"I followed (the juvenile) into the residence and placed him in handcuffs," Johnson said.

The juvenile was taken to the Regional Youth Development Center in Macon on charges of burglary and obstruction of a law enforcement officer.

Chandler said it was a sad case all the way around.

"All of these are kids who are under 20 years of age whom we have arrested," Chandler said. "These are kids in our community who had their whole lives ahead of them. And based on poor decision making, it's a tragedy for this community and for all of the people involved. One of these kids is dead and the other kids are in jail. It's just tragic all the way around."